Harry Kane - Is He Ready To Become One Of The Worlds Best?

The England Captain capped his World Cup debut off in style on Monday night when he bagged two goals against Tunisia to earn his country the three points. Despite being the youngest player ever to captain England at a major tournament, the 24-year-old shows no signs of being burdened by the responsibility of wearing the armband instead it fuels his ambition to join the worlds footballing elite. 

There was much anticipation on whether Kane would miss the mark like he did two years ago at the Euros and follow the trend set by English strikers not performing at national tournaments. 

However, his performance on Monday night in Volgograd was nothing short of expectations, as his 91^stminute winner got people asking the question could he be the best English player ever? 

Kane is more willing than anyone else to ask these questions to himself as on Sunday night he stated that he wanted to score a hat-trick to catch Cristiano Ronaldo and throw his name into the ring of players who will be aiming to take the Golden Boot home with them. I’m sure, with the attitude Harry Kane has he would have been kicking himself over not following up his words of getting a hat-trick on the plane back to the England base in Repino. 

All aspiring players in the modern age seem to be chasing that shadow cast by Ronaldo, and in recent years Harry Kane has entered the discussion on being one of them. Of course, there cannot be a direct compassion between a footballing giant who has become the worlds-greatest goal scorer and a young English man who only has two Premier-league golden boots in his trophy cabinet. 

Many fans and pundits alike, however, have noticed the similarities in both player’s mindset. Unlike players like Lionel Messi and Maradona, who were born with great technical ability, both Ronaldo and Kane are prime examples that if a footballer has good work-ethic, self-belief, and determination they can achieve individual greatness. 

Kane’s 48 goals in 53 appearances last season has led many to believe that he has the potential to replicate Michael Owen’s achievement in 2001 by winning a Ballon d’Or. So, when Kane stated on Sunday that “Ronaldo is the best in the world, up there with Messi but the challenge is there to be with them” he was announcing his ambition to knock Ronaldo off his pedestal this World Cup. It is this mentality that Ronaldo himself has expressed the last 15-years and it leads many to believe that Kane may just fore fill his own prophecy. 

Throughout his career, Kane has turned external doubt about him into self-motivation to prove people wrong. Like most English players, Kane has felt the wrath from tabloids who seem to have knocked British players confidence in the last decade. But as proven, Kane is special as he silences his critics with his actions on the pitch, then attacks back by denouncing certain articles or tweets. It is this personality trait that Kane possesses that caused Southgate to name him captain. 

England are very fortunate to have Harry Kane in their ranks, as he has acknowledged that this World Cup is one of the very few opportunities in his career to state his claim for the footballing crown. This tournament was meant of low expectations for England, but if the self-belief and hungry shown by their captain could well and truly lead them to be successful in Russia.